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Plotting and structuring a story
In literary as in all other art, structure is all-important, felt, or painfully missed, everywhere — that architectural conception of work, which foresees the end in the beginning and never loses sight of it, and in every part is conscious of all the rest, till the last sentence does but, with undiminished vigor, unfold and justify the first —a condition of literary art, which . . . I shall call the necessity of mind in style.— WALTER PATER. I do not believe in hard and fast rules for the construction of stories. Methods of work must vary with individual temperaments. My own way of work naturally seems to me the most logical, but I realize that this is a question which each writer must decide for himself. Personally, I find it necessary to know the general course of a story, and above all to know the end before I can begin it.— ARID BATES. It will be best for the student first to master, through practice, plotting and the development of plot. Let the first practice work be merely the origination of plots with no attempt to develop them in detail, writing them simply as synopses. Later some of these ideas may be worked over and in the light of subsequent knowledge. Do not work overlong at one time on any one plot. Aim at first rather to write many of varying grades than merely a few good ones that are worked over and repolished. Each new plot will offer new angles which may be found applicable to other plots and themes. My model is Euclid, whose justly celebrated book of short stories, entitled The Elements of Geometry, will live when most of us who are scribbling to-day are forgotten. Euclid lays down his plot, sets instantly to work at its development, letting no incident creep in that does not bear relation to the climax, using no unnecessary word, always keeping his one end in view, and the moment he reaches the culmination he stops,— ROBERT Bess, The Bookman, March, 1897. the articles below are from various copyright expired materials. please feel free to modify and comment on them. if you have an aposing view please add your view without removing the material you apose. combine articles that say the same things. Many stories, few plots the Simplicity of a short story plot is necessary and advantageous WHAT CONSTITUTES A PLOT PLOT DEVELOPMENT Plot variation DON'TS FOR PLOT-BUILDERS The Structure Of The Short Story CONTINUITY of action PUTTING IN THE PUNCH- idea under plot KINDS OF short story PLOT Writing Fiction Plot Plasticity of the scenario Hackneyed Themes economy in the structure of a short story incident DRAMATIC ACTION chapters in a short story the Selection of Details ANTI CLIMAX, its use and abuse INCIDENT HINTS Step outline example,"The Ambitious Guest." stages of the plot BUILDING UP THE PLOT CHOICE OF PLOT odds and ends writing techniques writing people ORATORY story components and attributes literature history and criticism